Go Tell It on the Mountain
Go Tell It on the Mountain
“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”
Luke 2:17-18 (NIV)
Of all the Christmas carols I know and love, my personal childhood favorite has always been “Go, Tell It on the Mountain.” As a child, I loved the upbeat, exciting tune (as well as the fun dance moves that went with it). As an adult, I love the encouragement it gives us to be like those awestruck shepherds that first Christmas night.
Scripture tells us that a group of shepherds happened to be in the fields nearby when an angel appeared to them in an overwhelmingly glorious manner. Their initial response? Fear and trembling. But then the angel delivers a great message of hope to them: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord,” (Luke 2:11). Encouraged by this message, they move past their fear and seek out the newborn King. And once they had found him, they spread this message of hope to others.
The angel never tells the shepherds to do anything except to not be afraid. The shepherds chose to seek out the Messiah themselves. They chose to share the message themselves.
I think we often find ourselves more fearful than excited at the idea of sharing the Good News with the world. We are afraid of rejection, we are afraid we will not know what to say, we are afraid we are not good enough to share. Yet this moment in Scripture shines a light in the face of our fears. The shepherds were afraid, but when they saw the true glory of God—when they came face-to-face with the Messiah—they could not help but share the Good News with others.
My hope for this Christmas season is that we would be so full of joy and excitement about the Good News of Christ that we would abandon our fears and join the shepherds as we 'Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born’.
God, help me to proclaim the Good News of your salvation throughout the Earth. Keep me from being afraid; give me the courage to shout from the mountaintops.
Written by Julia Silverthorn
“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”
Luke 2:17-18 (NIV)
Of all the Christmas carols I know and love, my personal childhood favorite has always been “Go, Tell It on the Mountain.” As a child, I loved the upbeat, exciting tune (as well as the fun dance moves that went with it). As an adult, I love the encouragement it gives us to be like those awestruck shepherds that first Christmas night.
Scripture tells us that a group of shepherds happened to be in the fields nearby when an angel appeared to them in an overwhelmingly glorious manner. Their initial response? Fear and trembling. But then the angel delivers a great message of hope to them: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord,” (Luke 2:11). Encouraged by this message, they move past their fear and seek out the newborn King. And once they had found him, they spread this message of hope to others.
The angel never tells the shepherds to do anything except to not be afraid. The shepherds chose to seek out the Messiah themselves. They chose to share the message themselves.
I think we often find ourselves more fearful than excited at the idea of sharing the Good News with the world. We are afraid of rejection, we are afraid we will not know what to say, we are afraid we are not good enough to share. Yet this moment in Scripture shines a light in the face of our fears. The shepherds were afraid, but when they saw the true glory of God—when they came face-to-face with the Messiah—they could not help but share the Good News with others.
My hope for this Christmas season is that we would be so full of joy and excitement about the Good News of Christ that we would abandon our fears and join the shepherds as we 'Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born’.
God, help me to proclaim the Good News of your salvation throughout the Earth. Keep me from being afraid; give me the courage to shout from the mountaintops.
Written by Julia Silverthorn
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